[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 145 (Thursday, September 27, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Pages S12292-S12293]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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SENATE RESOLUTION 334--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE REGARDING THE 
    DEGRADATION OF THE JORDAN RIVER AND THE DEAD SEA AND WELCOMING 
    COOPERATION BETWEEN THE PEOPLES OF ISRAEL, JORDAN, AND PALESTINE

  Mr. LUGAR submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 334

       Whereas the Dead Sea and the Jordan River are bodies of 
     water of exceptional historic, religious, cultural, economic, 
     and environmental importance for the Middle East and the 
     world;
       Whereas the world's 3 great monotheistic faiths--
     Christianity, Islam, and Judaism--consider the Jordan River a 
     holy place;
       Whereas local governments have diverted more than 90 
     percent of the Jordan's traditional 1,300,000,000 cubic 
     meters of annual water flow in order to satisfy a growing 
     demand for water in the arid region;
       Whereas the Jordan River is the primary tributary of the 
     Dead Sea and the dramatically reduced flow of the Jordan 
     River has been the primary cause of a 20 meter fall in the 
     Dead Sea's water level and a \1/3\ decline in the Dead Sea's 
     surface area in less than 50 years;
       Whereas the Dead Sea's water level continues to fall about 
     a meter a year;

[[Page S12293]]

       Whereas the decline in water level of the Dead Sea has 
     resulted in significant environmental damage, including loss 
     of freshwater springs, river bed erosion, and over 1,000 
     sinkholes;
       Whereas mismanagement has resulted in the dumping of 
     sewage, fish pond runoff, and salt water into the Jordan 
     River and has led to the pollution of the Jordan River with 
     agricultural and industrial effluents;
       Whereas the World Monuments Fund has listed the Jordan 
     River as one of the world's 100 most endangered sites;
       Whereas widespread consensus exists regarding the need to 
     address the degradation of the Jordan River and the Dead Sea;
       Whereas the Governments of Jordan and Israel, as well as 
     the Palestinian Authority (the ``Beneficiary Parties''), 
     working together in an unusual and welcome spirit of 
     cooperation, have attempted to address the Dead Sea water 
     level crisis by articulating a shared vision of the Red Sea-
     Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept;
       Whereas Binyamin Ben Eliezar, the Minister of National 
     Infrastructure of Israel, has said, ``The Study is an 
     excellent example for cooperation, peace, and conflict 
     reduction. Hopefully it will become the first of many such 
     cooperative endeavors'';
       Whereas Mohammed Mustafa, the Economic Advisor for the 
     Palestinian Authority, has said, ``This cooperation will 
     bring wellbeing for the peoples of the region, particularly 
     Palestine, Jordan, and Israel . . . We pray that this type of 
     cooperation will be a positive experience to deepen the 
     notion of dialogue to reach solutions on all other tracks'';
       Whereas Zafer al-Alem, the former Water Minister of Jordan, 
     has said, ``This project is a unique chance to deepen the 
     meaning of peace in the region and work for the benefit of 
     our peoples'';
       Whereas the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept 
     envisions a 110-mile pipeline from the Red Sea to the Dead 
     Sea that would descend approximately 1,300 feet creating an 
     opportunity for hydroelectric power generation and 
     desalination, as well as the restoration of the Dead Sea;
       Whereas some have raised legitimate questions regarding the 
     feasibility and environmental impact of the Red Sea-Dead Sea 
     Water Conveyance Concept;
       Whereas the Beneficiary Parties have asked the World Bank 
     to oversee a feasibility study and an environmental and 
     social assessment whose purpose is to conclusively answer 
     these questions;
       Whereas the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance Concept would 
     not address the degradation of the Jordan River;
       Whereas the Beneficiary Parties could address the 
     degradation of the Jordan River by designing a comprehensive 
     strategy that includes tangible steps related to water 
     conservation, desalination, and the management of sewage and 
     agricultural and industrial effluents; and
       Whereas Israel and the Palestinian Authority are expected 
     to hold high-level meetings in Washington in November 2007 to 
     seek an enduring solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis: Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) calls the world's attention to the serious and 
     potentially irreversible degradation of the Jordan River and 
     the Dead Sea;
       (2) applauds the cooperative manner with which the 
     Governments of Israel and Jordan, as well as the Palestinian 
     Authority (the ``Beneficiary Parties''), have worked to 
     address the declining water level and quality of the Dead Sea 
     and other water-related challenges in the region;
       (3) supports the Beneficiary Parties' efforts to assess the 
     environmental, social, health, and economic impacts, costs, 
     and feasibility of the Red Sea-Dead Sea Water Conveyance 
     Concept in comparison to alternative proposals;
       (4) encourages the Governments of Israel and Jordan, as 
     well as the Palestinian Authority, to continue to work in a 
     spirit of cooperation as they address the region's serious 
     water challenges;
       (5) urges Israel, Jordan, and the Palestinian Authority to 
     develop a comprehensive strategy to rectify the degradation 
     of the Jordan River; and
       (6) hopes the spirit of cooperation manifested by the 
     Beneficiary Parties in their search for a solution to the 
     Dead Sea water crisis might serve as a model for addressing 
     the degradation of the Jordan River, as well as a model of 
     peace and cooperation for the upcoming meetings in Washington 
     between Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they seek to 
     resolve long-standing disagreements and to develop a durable 
     solution to the Arab-Israeli crisis.

  Mr. LUGAR. Mr. President, I rise to introduce a resolution expressing 
the sense of the Senate regarding the degradation of the Jordan River 
and the Dead Sea and welcoming cooperation between the peoples of 
Israel, Jordan and Palestine.
  The Jordan River and the Dead Sea are bodies of water of exceptional 
historic, religious, cultural, economic, and environmental importance 
for the Middle East and the world. However, both the Jordan River and 
Dead Sea face serious problems. The governments of Israel and Jordan, 
as well as the Palestinian Authority, have worked together in an 
unusual and welcome spirit of cooperation to address many of the water 
challenges confronting the region. The Senate applauds this cooperation 
and urges Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority to continue to 
work in a spirit of cooperation as they address the degradation of the 
Jordan River and Dead Sea.
  Furthermore, the Senate hopes this cooperation might serve as a model 
for Israel and the Palestinian Authority as they prepare to meet in 
Washington this fall to seek a durable solution to the Arab-Israeli 
crisis.

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